Listen to and read reaction Monday out of Kansas City on the James Shields-Wil Myers trade, and you’ll know the majority of Royals fans believe their team made a mistake.

The deal general manager Dayton Moore should have made was to send Jeff Francoeur to the Tigers for Justin Verlander.

That one would have been met with unanimous approval. Maybe.

After 27 seasons without a playoff appearance, Royals fans are understandably frustrated and impatient. Some also seem misguided. Sorry, but Wil Myers would not have given the Royals a better chance of contending in 2013 than will James Shields. The other prospects sent to Tampa Bay won’t contribute as much in the majors next year as will Wade Davis.

As highly valued as prospects are, there’s a reason they’re called prospects. It means they haven’t proved themselves in the big leagues.

Royals fans should look at the deal like this—and, based on the reaction, many do: Their team has seriously upgraded a rotation that posted a 5.01 ERA last year. Combined with a solid bullpen and up-and-coming lineup, the Royals undoubtedly will field in 2013 their best team in a long time.

Shields is a bona fide top-of-the-rotation starter who has weathered seven seasons in the AL East. During a conference call Monday in which he sounded eager for the challenge, he called himself an “innings eater” who “wants to win right now.” In the Rays’ ideal world, they would not have had to trade him for salary reasons, either.

Davis is a big arm who was bounced to the bullpen by Matt Moore’s arrival last season but is 27 and already has had two double-digit win seasons as a starter. If he had stayed with the Rays, he likely would have returned to the rotation, too. He said Monday the Rays told him when the season ended to prepare to start in 2013. That’s what he’s been doing “since the World Series was going on.”

As Moore pointed out, the Royals have been able to overhaul their rotation without losing anyone of note off their big-league roster. “We’ve held onto our core group (of position players), and we’ve held onto our core group in the bullpen,” Moore said.

He added, “Our minor league system remains strong.”

Admittedly, there’s greater risk for the Royals. The Rays still have plenty of capable starters. If Myers hits in the majors like he did in the minors last season (.314, 37 homers), he will be an All-Star more than once. For this deal to work for the Royals, Shields and Davis have to stay healthy, never a certainty for starting pitchers.

As with every trade, time will tell who wins. But time hasn’t been on the Royals’ side for some time. This was a deal they could not— and should not—have passed on.